I am the Bat
by Njong
Summary: New updates, title names and introduction poems and the like. Chapter three should be up by morning, EST on 12-16-03 that is. Batman gets in way shoo-shoo because Superman and the others aren't as cool as they think they are. :)
1. Part I

  


I am the Bat

  


What words can describe how I feel? I am the Bat.

They all look at me, but none truly see. I am the Bat.

By their ignorance shall all be threatened. I am the Bat.

Looking at me they wonder if I am by far more of a danger than they would see themselves. This is a case in point.....

  


I am the Bat.

  
  
  
  


..............................

  
  
  
  
  


Why Me?

  


He is standing there

Mouth gaping wide as he looks

The scene unfolds.....Red.

-Christine Berry

  


_He walks through the door first. HE is nigh on invulnerable, of course they would send him first. They think he has more of a chance at this than anyone. For everything that is dark and shadowy, HE is the light. The ultimate Boy Scout. HE is everything that I am not. Sometimes, in my more cynical moments, I ask myself why I put up with him. He is willfully naive, refusing to see the truth in front of his face when it's not a pretty sight ....._

_ And I'm not HIM._

_ He is what I could have been, I admit to myself. If not for that day. Happy, outgoing, with no more secrets than a child. Innocent in his own way. Things that I have not been since that day._

_ He has parents that are alive. _

_ I don't. _

  
  


..............................

  
  


"What?!? What Am I doing here?"

  


I hear movement across the room and look up. There is a man standing in the light. He is wearing a cape and tights. A red cape and blue tights. Are we at the circus or something? Where are Mom and Dad? Why would he look surprised? Doesn't he work here?

  


"H-help me? They're gone. Where are my parents!!!"

  


Why does it hurt

  
  


..............................

  
  


I've finally found him. After we took out the last of the alien probes there was an explosion on, on the Mother Ship. Batman had apparently infiltrated it. From survivors we learned that they weren't trying to take over the Earth. Their ships supplies were almost depleted. They had been looking to restock.

At first it was only a few people here and there. No reason for the Justice League to notice. Unfortunately people go missing all the time, we're super-heros, not God. We can't be there to save everyone, every time.

It's funny, we say or think that almost constantly, but it's the only normal human among us that doesn't really believe that. Of course I don't think he admits that, even to himself. He is responsible for every life, whether it's on his watch or not. He has made himself responsible.

I sometimes wonder at that. Even though he acts like the Big Bad Batman that the rest of us see, I know he is the most kind, compassionate person I have ever known. At any moment I know that he would, unquestionably, do whatever necessary so that an innocent wouldn't suffer as he did.

Thinking that there was even the slightest connection between any of these mysterious disappearances would be paranoid in the extreme, bordering on the insane. Even though we'll all admit he is the ' Worlds Greatest Detective ', at one point in time, we have all thought that he was stark raving mad. Even if some of the others won't admit it.

It's a good thing for us that may be true though. Somehow he put 2 an 2 together and got 5. I really hate how he does that sometimes. Especially when he is right about something as horrendous as this.

We had just started the weekly meeting and he was late. Again. It really wasn't any different from all the other times. He always has a good reason, a very good and important reason. Bruce always does. I hated that too. Of course after a heated and particularly pointless session with 'President' Luthor my fuse was pretty short right off the bat.

It was no excuse. In retrospect, we should have seen that he was only being more him than usual because something was genuinely, truly wrong.

  
  


There are no shadows in the Watch Tower. The place is so well-lighted that it would seem impossible to find one. Yet he managed to. In some manner. He did. Maybe he has a patented bat-shadow generator or something. Ha.

I think that he got out 3 words before I laid it into him. I mean we all know how Wonder Woman is prone to these things, it's expected, but I generally don't go into that sort of thing. Usually.

From the looks of shock on the faces around me, I should have known I was over-reacting. At the time the only thing I could see was him. He always looks a little smug most of the time around us. How I could have mistaken that look for smugness only Lois knows (and she's not telling, thank God).It's bad enough as it is without that. Later we would find out he was coming to us for help. Him, needing help.

Right then and there we made the first of many mistakes that day. We ran him off. No, not purposefully, but the end product was just the same. Everyone just sat there and I yelled at him for what seemed like forever. For stupid petty things, things that I am surprised I even remembered.

He just stood there. I don't even think that he blinked once. I am probably the closes thing he has to a friend on this team and I didn't notice that he was hurt at the time. No one noticed that he was leaning on the wall for support, oh no, they were too fascinated with me. Superman _never_ blows up. Oh no, he only gets mad at the bad guys, not _us_.

When I was finally done he didn't try to say another word. I dearly wished he had but can't really blame him at all this time. Just tossed a pretty thick folder onto the table and left.

Did he know what effect that would have on the rest of us? I choose to believe not. But no matter what, Bruce will always do what he thinks is right, even if it would be deadly insanity to do so. I only hope it doesn't turn out that way this time.

But when he left us that day and we final stopped arguing, there was blood on the wall where he stood..... 

  


..............................

  
  


Something bad is coming. Batman has just stormed out of the room. We are all arguing over him. Loudly. What is this all about? He was more closed than usual. All I received from him was rage... and fear. I believe this is going to be very, very bad.....

  


..............................

  
  
  


I had gone into the city for groceries. Sure, I'm The Batman's sidekick. I'm Robin the Boy Wonder. I regularly kick evil's butt for breakfast and I am also grocery shopping for my Dad. Alfred has said about a 'gilyon times that he could handle it. But for some reason I don't let him.

I sometimes wonder why, I mean, fighting the eternal grind of evil doesn't leave you with much time for anything else, mostly. So why waste it shopping? For groceries of all things at that too.

It's probably just for the shear normalcy of it I suppose. You need that sorta when you and some of your best buds (not to mention your's and their mentors) are, in all likelihood, insane. I mean come on, we dress up in tights and capes to fight bad guys from the 7th dimension who are trying to turn the world as we know it into grape jelly. Maybe that's why Alfie isn't all that insistent about the shopping.

Just this once, I, almost wish I had let him. 

  


..............................

  
  


Looking around I still can't believe it. Bruce's goin' to kill me. Some kind of butt-ugly alien losers seem to be making a zoo or something.

We are being held in some kind of holding pen. The walls are to high to jump even if there weren't some kind of electrical field over it. Escape seems a little bit out of the question at the moment, so I decide to sit tight and wait for the rescue I know is coming. I mean, he is the Batman after all. No worries there.

I start to move through the crowd, exploring. There must be hundreds of people in here. No one knows what the aliens want, but occasionally a group of 5 to 10 are herded out through the lift at the far end of the room. They never come back.

Keeping that in mind I continue to wander. Maybe I will come up with some clues to help Bruce when he gets here. Not that he probably won't have it all figured out by that time or anything. I mean, he is Batman and these aliens don't know what their in for.

  


..............................

  
  


It has been almost a day since I was taken and I have finally figured out where all the people have gone. They eat them.

At first I didn't, couldn't believe it. In a frightenly logical way, it's the only answer possible. Our captors are a predatory looking species. Vaguely dinosaurid in appearance and , if I had to, I'd say they looked like what I always imagined a raptor would look like, sorta.

Sorta, what would Bruce say if I told him that? Dinosaur people from space with thumbs think we are remarkable tasting looking like cows. Yummy.

  


_We're all going to be eaten._

  


Bruce, hurry and get here, I don't want to die!

  
  


..............................

  
  


It has been a little over a day since master Timothy has disappeared. I worry for the lad. It is not like him to just up and vanish. But as much as I worry for him, I worry just that mush more for Master Bruce. He has figured out where master Timothy has been spirited off to, but it took him to long. He is running on sheer will power now. At least I convinced him to seek aid among his, more colorful colleges.

He was already near collapse after recapturing the Killer Croc, Scarecrow, and Two-Face. Unfortunately, after being on the receiving end of some of the nasty 'fear-toxin' belonging to the Scarecrow, he took a rather punishing beating at the hands of the Croc. How he managed to recapture them afer all that, I will never know and I suppose he shan't tell me either.

It might have had something to do with luck, even though he would vehemently deny it. If poor Mr. Kent's toss had gone the other way I fear it would have gone considerably worse for him at any rate.

As it were he was almost literally in pieces when he finally arrived at the Cave. Broken ribs, a concussion or two, quite a few ripped puncture wounds and the like. The usual. It is times like these that make me glad of my medicinal knowledge.

After putting the finishing touches on my, all to familiar handy work, we received a call. Master Tim's father was looking for him, was he at Mater Bruce's house? No, the last I knew he was out shopping for groceries. Yes, if he stops by I will tell him that he is to go strait home, his is several hours late, kid.

Before I had even put the receiver down the Master was already half dressed. Knowing that there was no hope in asking him to rest for a few hours first (and really understanding his concern for young Timothy) I simple helped him to dress and prayed..... 

..............................

  
  
  


_Note: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this short story. I wish that wasn't true though..... If you sue me all you'll get is a 3,000 dollar debt every year until I get out of collage soooo.......Wait, come to think of that, go right ahead! _

_(Not really)_

  


_Note II: I already have part two written, it just leaves it to be typed. Enjoy. Oh, and for those of you who don't know what sh'marmy means, ummmm, it's not a bad word or anything. An' playing mind games with these characters are so fun!!! _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Part II

Of Bats and Men

  


The time has come the walrus said,

to talk of many things, of shoes, of ships,

of sealing wax, of cabbages and kings.

Of why the sea is boiling hot,

and wether _bats_ have wings.

  
  


I remember what Bats was like after Robin the second was killed by the Joker. Of course, at the time who would have guessed 'Mr. Personality' cared so much for a kid? 

No offence, I miss the kid as much as the next person I suppose, though, it is a bit hard to know any of them. But, Batman? I think that everyone learned one of those life lessons from it, the hard way. The Bat may act like a cold fish and some human robot dude, but, no one better mess with his little family.

I have seen the guy get shot and be no more disturbed than if someone had hit him with a snow ball or something. No, he would probably be more furious if you had _dared_ throw a snowball at him. But, God protect you if you presume to harm one of the Bat clan, because we sure can't.

No one even dared to go into his city during that time. Including my man Flash, and he could have been in and out of there before _HE_ had time to blink. Wally totally detoured the whole thing a lot more widely than usual.

Even Supes stayed away for the longest. Until he somehow talked some semblance of sanity back into the man. Sure it's tough losing someone, but that's still no reason to go ballistic on the world. Right? Maybe it's totally different in his eyes. I mean losing your parents when your little is bad enough, seen' them go right in front of you must be a heck of a lot worse. Of course we didn't know that he was also Bruce Wayne at the time.

I guess that's why he's so oober protective of those he lets get close to him. Could be why he came to us for help. Yeah, I know, Batman and needing help do not belong in the same language. When it comes right down to it, I' proud he even considered us for help in this. It was one of his own on the line this time. To bad we screwed up.

Superman had probably had a really crummy meeting with Luthor alright. Must have been a doozy the way we felt like walking egg shells around him. S'funny, I thought Batman had a monopoly on that department or at least shared it with Aquaman or something. Wish we had found out some other time that Superman had a claim on that department too.

He was really only about 15 minutes or so late. Somehow I wish it was me that it had been me that day. I know I usually am , so why not this time too? Anyway, I think the S-man way overreacted. Batman always has a good reason for being late. Always. He never chews me out like that and I never (almost) have a good excuse.

I don't even know how long he yelled for. Something about Batman seemed wrong but I was so surprised by Superman's tirade that I never did figure it out until later. I wonder if the others noticed at the time? Or were they in shock too?

Afterwards he just threw that folder on the table without saying a word from where he stood and left. All hell broke loose. Some of us were defending Batman, some Superman. He is the current Chairman they say. It is his call to discipline a member for tardiness. The others are saying Batman never was one to waste their time, he probably had a good reason for being late to boot.

For once I seem to be the only one who keeps something that resembles my temper in check. I swear it's probably a few hours later that we even remember his folder. Superman was still pretty pissed off at him so J'onn was the one to open it.

I hope to my place as a Green Lantern that I never see that look one his face again, for so long as I may live. It just got worse the longer he read and it was a pretty thick folder at that.

  


Come to find out, Batman really, really needed our help. All those missing people _were_ connected after all. Some nasty-bad dinosaurs from outer space were gathering supplies for there ongoing mission. Mega-sickness being that those supplies were people. Seems we are mighty tasty that way.

  


The scary thing? Robin had been harvested.....

  


..............................

  


The Batman, our ally, had come seeking our aid to rescue one of his children. Thanks to a ignorant little misunderstanding he left without it. After reading the information he left us hours ago we finally understand just how big a mistake we had made. If his Robin dies I will never forgive myself.

I have no great love for the man personally, but he is a distinguished warrior and an ally after all. I also know what it is to lose a child, I would never want any one to suffer that again as he would. 

Unfortunately, just as we were setting out it seems that the alien scum decided it was time "up the ante" as Wally would say. They were trying to kidnap larger groups of people now via probes maned with some of their crew. It seems that those hours had been put to good use by Batman. He surely must have found their head-quarters and 'stormed the castle' as it. By Poseidon's beard, the man is more stubborn then I ever was!

As we break off into groups no one mentions the blood smeared wall.....

  


.............................. 

  
  


Since me an' Superman were the fastest, more fun for us. Thank heaven there weren't that many probes, 'cause after the fifth one, let me tell you, even I was getting tired.

He must have been feeling pretty bad about the whole 'blowing up at Batman' thing. The big S-man doesn't do the dark and grim very much, but still, it's pretty scary. None of the others have found the baddies HQ yet. Everyone is sure that's where dear old Batty was heading. It seems like the one nearest Gotham might end up being the hornets nest. Figures somehow.

Must be where the new Boy Wonder is . Hope he's alright. From what I've heard of him, he's a really good kid. I surely would hate to lose him. Bart even slowed down enough to tell me all about him without using just key words! I have only met the runt a few times, but I'm sure the Batman is very proud of him. Keeps the good old Bat Clan's tradition of secrecy well enough and all that Jazz.

  


Oh God! What if we lose him??? Batman will kill us!

  


Thankfully just as that thought strikes me we finish up the last of the probe posts. J'onn and the others are heading to the last at Gotham. I was right, it did end up being the head quarters. Well, they never said this was going to be a attractive (or safe) job at the Super Hero School.

Most of the people are clueless, thought they were being held hostage or something. The few who figured it out look to be in shock or worse. Unfortunately we just don't have time for them right now, we have to figure out how they got out in the first place. Superman is the one who spots Robin in the crowd. I can feel us all give a collective sigh of relief, we can all breath again. He seems to be the one who lead the people to safety to boot. All is right in the world until we get a closer look at the lad.

Someone up there really must not like us. That must be it. 

  


He's about to collapse on us. This is way bad. J'onn is the first to figure it out, I mean, he is the telepathy major. The stoopid aliens had enough supplies on landing to hold off on this new source for a bit. They had even gathered enough that they could leave and be fine for a good while. Seems they were even wondering about letting the gathering up of new meat slack and just keep the ones they had left for live stock purposes. By that time though, the head pooh-bahs or whatever they call themselves, had had their first taste.

Urg. Nastiness. *shiver* Like some freakin' candy addicts they couldn't get enough, hence the step-up in processing. In steps the Justice League. Bad guy booties are toast on a stick. Cut, print, and go directly to jail. Time to ride of into the sunset. Lots of people dying while we waste time arguing before getting there to save the day.

Batman had other ideas of course. Thank heavens. All the bloody, unconscious bodies laying around being testament to that fact. In the process of all the righteous bootie whooping, he apparently came up just a tad short. He did make it to the hostages, but for some reason couldn't pull off that last little detail.

Oh, the prisoners were released but Bats had to surrender to get it done. He had the aliens full attention (that's a real surprise alright), what hey didn't know was that he could not have freed those people if they had not agreed to let them go in exchange for his surrender. I t had been a long time since a warrior such as the Batman had challenged them in their journeys.

He must have known that we would have made it in time, he had to....

  


..............................

  
  


Bruce Wayne. Millionaire, playboy, social elite, the Batman. Most of the others believe he is a maniac. An apparently rich, pampered nut-case. Sure, his parents were killed when he was little, but, really. What a big deal. Lots of kids lose their parents everyday. To divorce, abandonment, and yes, even death. Even though they would never say such things out loud.

I'm sure his family understands. His family. For all the years I have known him, he has possibly been more of a loner than I ever was. In time I hoped that he would find the family he had lost. If not in the form of the Justice League as myself, then perhaps somewhere else.

At the best of times, in almost every incarnation of the League, people have made jokes to me at how ugly it must be inside the Bat's head. I have never thought that particular joke very funny. Superman is plausibly the only one among the rest that actually understands him, or so I thought.

Most people are easy to read. Their thoughts running so smoothly in the background of my mind that it requires almost no effort on my part to forget they are even there. As a telepath, perhaps Arthur would understand best, but I hate going into or reading another's mind without consent. It is like reading a person's journal, only on a vastly more personal level. 

The Batman is different. The rest of them see him as some cold, impersonal robot, which is exactly what he wants them to see. But inside his head, it is whole other world. 

Whenever he is around I see red. Red with the sound of gunshots, as if they were echoing forever off the walls of an alleyway. Pearls flying through the air to land, to land dully around the still figures of a man and women. A little boy's cry of helplessness and rage mingle with the shots. Blending until they both become so loud, all else is drowned, all but the need for revenge and justice. They tell me how ugly it must be, I find it to be sad.

Today I fear he will go through it all again. As he left the Watch tower I sensed something very wrong. The little boy in Bruce wasn't crying out in horror and helplessness. He was crying in rage. Just as he was when Jason died, as he did after that day.

I blame myself for not realizing it at first. Being surprised by the true venom in Superman's outburst was no excuse at all. When we finally remembered his folder and looked at it, I thought I would be physically sick. He knew what was responsible for the sudden rash of disappearances. Aliens, it always has to be 'aliens'. They were hungry, it was all there. Unfortunately he couldn't be sure which one was their main base of operations.

I understood it really didn't matter. He knew which one Tim was in, after all..... 

  


.............................. 

  
  


The others gather around as I try to get some sense from Robin. We knew Batman was inside, but not for how long or where exactly. We are also ignorant as to his situation. Timothy is a strong lad, it would take something very extreme to affect him this way. Superman, Flash, and Wonder Women do a quick reconnaissance as Aquaman and Green Lantern try to evacuate the area.

As they arrive back at our location, Robin does the unexpected.

  


"It's all your faults! He must have come to you for help! Hurt as he was it would have been stoopid suicide to come here alone, not to mention the unacceptable risk to innocents if he screwed up! He would never leave anything like this to chance! Batman's good, but he ain't God, even he's not so arrogant to think that. Why couldn't Nightwing been around, surely he was back from that stoopid mission with Arsenal. This wouldn't have happened if he had at least a little help!!!"

  


I don't think that I have ever felt more ashamed than at that moment, I know the others fell the same also. Especially Superman. But he still wasn't making any sense, what had happened?

I eared the worst. From the first reading of his folder I had been trying to contact him, but for some reason all I received that whole time was a burst of pain, then nothing. I was really beginning to worry. I don't, can't think of him as even being dead. At about that time Clark had decided to try and talk to the boy.

Clearly that was a bad idea. Before I do anything that can stop him he already started speaking. Telling the boy that everything will turn out right in the end, we'll all laugh at this misunderstanding and the Justice League would fix it was obviously not one of his better moments. 

With a strangled sob, he pointed out the true horror of our folly.....

  


" Yeah, Superman, just how are you going to fix that? Huh, Heroes? Maybe you can mistake him to death and wash your hand clean of his arrogant self-centered sacrifice!"

.............................. 

  
  
  
  


_Note: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this short story. I wish that wasn't true though..... If you sue me all you'll get is a 3,000 dollar debt every year until I get out of collage soooo.......Wait, come to think of that, go right ahead! _

  
  


_Note II: __I would like to thank the following people for reviewing my story and would also like to ask that if something I write doesn't make sense, please, will someone let me know? It's just not cool when you sound like a lunatic (Also please note I didn't say that I am not a lunatic, just that I wish not to sound like one..... 0_0)._

  


_ Batbabe_

_ Stephanie Jeansonne_

_ Madpostman_

_ MrManiac_

_ MC_

  
  
  
  
  
  



	3. Part III

Enter Sandman

  
  


Hush little baby don't say a word,

and never mind that noise you heard.

It's just a beast beneath your bed,

In your closet,

In your head!

_ Exit light,_

_ Enter night._

_ Take my hand,_

_ We're off to never-never land!_

  


..............................

  
  
  


Prologue:

  


For the past hour explosions seem to be the run of the day. Everyone else is scared out of their minds. I mean, it's not like they are kidnaped every day by alien scum-bags from wherever. I try to calm those nearest me down. I do have an unfair advantage over them though. I know what is causing all of those explosions!

  


Batmanishere.

  


ROCK!

  


..............................

  
  


I can't believe that I just yelled at the Justice League like that. It's true though, they should have been there to help earlier. I know the Man Hunter is probably reading my thoughts right now, they ain't pretty, and I don't freakin' care!

He shouldn't have come! I knew he would. Hoping against hope (and believing) that he would make everything right again, like he always does. I know it's not fair, even he can't do that. Something wasn't right. I couldn't make out what he was telling the aliens. Probably the 'I'll ripe your lungs out' routine. He's nothing but a big softy, well sorta. They seemed frightened of him alright, because after that they let us go. He told me leave and take the civs with me, like now.

I should have guessed right then what was wrong, I am apprenticed to the World's Greatest Detective. He looked almost ready to drop, but I was so happy at being rescued and that no more people had to die that everything just had to be alright with the world. He was a member, a founding member, of the JLA for crying out loud! Things like this don't happen to them because they run back-up for each other. He would be fine. The bad guys never stand a chance.

So I left, like he told me to. A good soldier, that's me. Always obey the commander, even if it seems to mean suicide, heh? J'onn has been looking at me funny ever since they arrived. It would almost be comical, the looks on their faces as they turn and see what has been done to him. 

What am I gonna tell Alfie and the gang?!?

  


..............................

  


J'onn didn't even know if he was still alive or not. From the time we arrived on scene he had been trying to connect to him. It was starting to look grim indeed when we stumbled upon Robin. He was falling apart. That is definitely one of those 'uh-oh' signs that herald the worst, one of Bruce's children showing emotion. So while J'onn tried to make some sense out of the situation the rest of us did what we do best. Save people.

I could almost laugh at that arrogance, but won't. Bitterness won't help him now, nor will self-loathing. Scanning into the hold I see a giant area with the alien's bodies laying all around. Most are a bloody mess, but I think they'll live. We'll make sure of that. I won't have _that_ laid on him now. Not that anyone could or would, but He will. Blaming Himself must be His power, at least ,we who know Him sometimes think so.

Where he is hiding I don't know. Behind something lead probably. I hope it was a conscious thing on his part and not just dumb luck. 

If that much of him survived, then there is hope. At least I pray so...

  


I wanted to spare him the agony I know he must feel to be this way. Helpless. There is nothing He hates more than being helpless. So I go in after him alone. I don't know why I think I have a better chance at fixing this than the others. This being my fault in the first place and all.

Robin will hear none of it though. He blames us with this thing and he is right to. But I will not allow Bruce's child¹ to be in any more danger this day because of me. J'onn helpfully nudges the boy into a restful sleep. As he gently wraps him in his cape and walks towards the Javelin 7, I wonder at how tiny he looks in his sleep.

Bruce, did you ever just watch them sleep? Nat a bedside sitting, just waiting for them to get well, but a honest to goodness human moment?

Somehow I think you have and many times at that. By everything good I swear you will again my friend. With this in mind I head out. The others understand this is something I must do alone.

After that first glimpse when we all saw him, he appeared to head back into the ship's outer hull. Asking anyone who is listening, I hope he stays in the outer parts. This is going to be had enough without having to play cat and mouse with him.

They must have been smiling on me for the first room I check held that which I searched for. Coming in through a rather large hole in the ceiling I got my first close up glimpse of Bruce. I was shocked. More than shocked. If so much wasn't on the line I think that I would have cried right then. 

..............................

  


Seeing Clark standing there I wonder. What is he doing here? Taking a closer at his face (why is it so hard to see?), I also wonder why he looks so pale. Something is obviously wrong here.

"Clark?"

  


***I realize I say that out loud only after he reacts.*** Something is very wrong. What's the matter with me? I remember fighting the N'Gathi matter in their Mother Ship. Somehow I believe the hostages were rescued. Tim is safe. I had to believe that. If only Dick was here..... Where is he?

  


Why can't I remember?

  


At about that moment Superman starts to move closer to me. He tries to talk in a soothing voice but for some reason I can't understand him. Why is he yelling like that? This is very, very wrong. I look down to get something out of my belt. Everything hurts so much, time for a little .......

Perhaps that wasn't one of my better moments, for as I look down it all comes back to me in a rush. Dimly I'm aware of something screeching. It sounds like someone is torturing a house full of cats. I realize the humor of the situation even as my mind begins to shatter when the thought crosses my mind that Catwoman would kill anyone who even thinks that is funny.

It's about then that I also realize that it is myself I hear screaming. 

  


Yea, definitely not one of my better days. 

  


..............................

  


Oh crap, crap, crap. That thing couldn't have been Batman. From the reports of the rescued people, only about two hours or so had passed since they were freed. Not enough time for anything really bad to happen. Right? This is why you should never tempt fate with statements like that. Never.

A horrific scream erupts from the space ship. I erect a quick bubble shield around the nearest people that blocks most of the noise, but not all of it. Sounds like that could only come out of the deepest pit of hell itself.

  


Boy, do I hate it when I am right.....

  


..............................

  


Void. Pain. Hurt. Where am I? Mother? Father? 

  


"Dead!!!" I scream to the world.

  


Shots in the dark. A shadow flees. There. Get it. It took them from me!

  


Who is them? Tim? Alfred? 

  


"Dick!"

  


.............................. 

Suddenly he lunges at me. I can barely make out what he is saying.

  


" I wish Dick was here too Bruce.: I answer back sadly.

  


My God, what have they done to him? It appears to be much like what the Man-Bat has gone through, but somehow terribly twisted. Perhaps he interrupted the process and escaped before they could complete it. It certainly seems unfinished.

Of course as I am cowishly sitting here thinking this all out he has had more than ample time to prepare for the attack. Thankfully I am invincible. My only problem now is how do I capture him without making this bad situation worse?

Swooping down from above me I quickly dodge less he break more bones on impact. I wish Batman was here to make a plan. Of course, I also think stupidly, this is Batman and this is all your fault he can't make a plan for us!

Shaking my head to clear the anger and self-loathing, I am stilled faced with the problem of capturing him without 0causing further harm.

Yet again I fail to notice a key thing about my poor friend. He is still bleeding ( "But much worse now, I add mentally) and probably with more injuries than before, to judge by hy jerky movements. Thankfully (in some sad way) my most pressing problem took care of itself right about then.

From the shock, loss of blood or sheer exhaustion, he collapses. Bruce never was one to do things the easy way, so perhaps I should not have been that surprised when he is mid-air when it happens. Fortunately I am 'Faster than a Speeding Bullet'.

It shocks me. After all that has happened this day, somehow this tiny detail shakes me to my very being. Even in his sleep he is raked by bone shaking pain.....

  
  


..............................

  
  
  


Alfred has already called me a half dozen different times tonight. Asking about you know who again. I honestly can't believe the things He puts that poor man through. Running off into the night like this. I know why He thinks he must, but sometimes he goes to far, pushing himself and others to their limits and beyond.

Of course I would never forgive him if he didn't go after Tim though. I am glad Alfred talked him into going to the JLA for help this time. He is probably going to need it. Let's just hope he doesn't need my help before this is over with......

  
  
  


..............................

  
  
  


As we disperse the rest of the civilians and help those too injured to move out, J'onn contacts the rest of us. 

  


" _Superman has Batman, but he is badly injured. After clean-up met us at the Watch-Tower. Superman and I are heading directly to the infirmiry."_

  


Great gods above help us. It must be much worse than I thought if he isn't telling us any more than that and he forgot to mention who had the un-enviable task of informing His family about this horrible occurrence.

Hera help the poor fool who does, perhaps we should send the Flash. He would have more of a chance at escaping...... 

  
  
  


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Note I :

  


Well guys, I finally got this chapter done. Sorry it took so long, but life interrupted and me funky Neph hid the booklet with the story ya know. Well, chapters 4-8 have already been written and all that nifty jazz, so the next installments should not be all that far off. I am such a lazy bugger when it comes to typing also and not even me ( I am very mad at him right now anyway) Beau can read it, so I am stuck typing it all myself until I get all that cool voice typing program to work for me. Well, Ta for now chaps (and gels).

  


Note II :

  


I wish to thank all you people who read my story and reviewed it for me. It is amazing what a confidence booster (Hmmm, wonder if I should put him in there.... naw!) a review can be, definitely makes me write faster! (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge and all that stuff!!!)

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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